


Reshoot

by kiite



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ace Lives, Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Memory Loss, Not very much comfort but I guess a little, Whole Cake Island Arc, all sanji pudding interactions are purely platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Sanji loses something important on Whole Cake. Ace does, too.
Relationships: Charlotte Pudding & Vinsmoke Sanji, Portgas D. Ace/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 27
Kudos: 196





	1. Chapter 1

“In… love?” 

Sanji sighed, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. “I’m sorry. I just… I thought you should know, all things considered.”

Crocodile tears sprung into Pudding’s eyes as she processed what her fiancé had just told her. It was a chore, pretending to be sympathetic for his situation, but it was a chore she had to do. “Does your family know?”

“With the amount of research Judge seems to have done into my life, it wouldn’t surprise me if he does.” Sanji ran his fingers through his hair; it seemed to be a nervous habit of his, Pudding had noticed. _Pathetic_. “Even if he doesn’t, well… it wouldn’t make a difference to him. He’s never cared about what I want.” 

_God, shut up,_ Pudding thought, fighting to keep the annoyance off her face. “So you’re already in love with someone, but you still have to get married to me…” she sniffled, as though she was trying to restrain herself from bursting into tears. She wasn’t, of course, but that wasn’t relevant. “I’m so sorry! I wanted to be the best wife I could for you, but if someone else has your heart, being with me will only be even more torturous!”

Sanji was quick to jerk his head up, eyes wide in surprise. “Ah, Pudding, it’s not your fault! None of this is your fault.” He was genuinely trying to comfort her, the idiot. “It’s my fault for letting myself end up in this position. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to be a good husband.”

Pudding chewed her lip. Of course it didn’t matter that he wouldn’t be a good husband; he was going to die before he ever got the chance. However, if this other relationship caused him to bail on the wedding at the last moment… That could be a problem, and Mama would blame her for it. Everything needed to go according to plan. 

That was Pudding’s justification as she reached into Sanji’s head and yanked out his memories. The roll of film spilled out, piling up on the carpet as she pulled more and more out. Sanji was still, dazed and unaware of what was happening to him. _Serves him right!_

First, most of this conversation had to go. She grabbed the end of the roll, which was lying on the floor, and traced back to the moment he had entered the room to speak with her. With a single snip from her scissors, the memories fell away, cut free from the blond idiot’s mind. All her great acting today had been a _waste._

All that was left was to find whoever Sanji had given his heart to. In her many years of doing this, Pudding had gotten adept at scanning people’s memory in record time. It wasn’t long before she stumbled across it; a tender, private moment, meant only for the two of them, and certainly not for Pudding. She couldn’t keep the surprise off her face as she registered what she was seeing in the segment of film.

 _Really? Him?_ Anybody would easily recognize Fire Fist after the stir he had caused two years ago in the Paramount War. In their brief time together, Sanji hadn’t struck Pudding as the type to have any interest in men, though she didn’t care all that much to learn anything unnecessary about him. He would be dead soon, and spending time with him was unpleasant to boot. She really couldn’t care less about what he did with who.

But there was… something. Something about the way they held each other in this moment, like they were each other’s lifelines, that made Pudding incredibly angry. It wasn’t due to a possessiveness over Sanji— no, Pudding wasn’t some lovesick fool like he was. She gripped the film tight when she realized what it was, threatening to crush the memory with her bare hands. She wanted to be looked at like that, just once in her life.

She was _jealous_ of Sanji.

Never had Pudding felt more disgusted with herself than she did in that moment. She was quick to cut the memory away from Sanji, not bothering to fabricate a false memory and simply reattaching the rest of the film where the hole had been made. For a moment she simply stared at the clip, overwhelmed by her various conflicting emotions. Then she raised the scissors and shredded it into pieces. The slivers of film burned away into nothingness as they fell to the ground, forever lost.

Pudding was doing him a favor, really. His last moments would be so much more peaceful if he didn’t know that he would be leaving someone behind, heartbroken. He should be thanking her— not that he would know what she had done, of course.

With the number of times Pudding had been ordered to do this before, she had become adept at quickly scanning and searching people’s entire memories for whatever she needed to remove. Fueled by anger at both herself and Sanji, she began pulling through the length of film vigorously. She had plenty of time before she needed to be anywhere.

This was for Mama’s plan. Nothing personal.

* * *

Sanji blinked. Something was strange.

“Are you alright, Sanji? You seem kind of out of it,” Pudding asked, batting her eyelashes a bit as she watched him in concern. He felt bad for having made her worry. “You were just staring off into space…”

Was that what he had been doing? Sanji’s mind felt clouded, like he was overlooking something important. He knew he was in Pudding’s room, and he’d come to see her to… to… just to see her? His mind told him that was correct, but something else told him it was absolutely not. Sanji shoved that feeling down for now; it wasn’t his top priority.

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine,” he answered somewhat unconvincingly, pushing his bangs up slightly with his hand. “Just tired, is all.” He glanced out the window, surprised to see the sun slipping beneath the waves of the Grand Line. _When had it gotten this late?_

Pudding nodded, turning her head down to her lap where she nervously pressed her thumbs together. “Um, Sanji…” she started, not looking at him. A cute blush dusted her face as she fidgeted slightly. “No, never mind, it’s embarrassing…”

Sanji stood up from his position across from Pudding and moved to sit on the loveseat next to her, waiting for her to give him permission before he took a seat. He left a respectful amount of space between the two of them, but he still reached over and gently laid a hand over hers. 

“Go ahead. I would never laugh at a lady’s heartfelt words.”

Pudding finally looked up at him, the beginning of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “I know that you don’t want to get married, but,” she paused to reach up and wipe a tear away before it could fall. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy, I promise. I’ll give you my heart.” 

Sanji smiled at her, the way one prisoner would to another as they fought to stay alive. What they had certainly wasn’t love, but rather a form of solidarity born out of similar circumstances. It could function as love, though, if they needed it to. “I’ll do the same, of course. My heart is yours, Pudding.” 

The smile that Pudding gave was the brightest smile Sanji had seen on her, and it made him feel a bit better. He hadn’t realized how happy that answer would make her. At least he’d done _something_ right.

* * *

The wedding was going downhill fast, not that Sanji hadn’t expected that. Everything had been pretty much going according to plan, up until he saw Pudding’s eye. He knew he should have staggered backwards, prompting her to pull her gun on him, but he just _couldn’t._ It was so lovely, and he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t say so. This and that happened, and then, of course, the fucking wedding cake exploded.

He knew Luffy would absolutely pull a stunt like this, but it still caught him a bit by surprise and he lost his footing, slipping on the icing. For a moment he was falling, struggling to right himself so that he could use Sky Walk, but all of a sudden he wasn’t falling anymore. 

Sanji looked up at the man who had caught him in midair. He hadn’t been at the meeting with Bege, but he was dressed in a similar outfit to the rest of Sanji’s group, with a dress shirt— which was, strangely, open— and a tie hanging freely over his chest. His wavy black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, multiple strands hanging freely and framing his freckled face. Pressed up against his chest— much too close for Sanji’s comfort— Sanji noticed a massive scar covering most of it, not unlike his captain’s own scar. 

His captain’s scar. When had he gotten…?

Sanji realized the man was looking down at him now, fixing him with a warm grin that seemed _way_ too intimate for having just met. “Hey, stranger,” he said softly, clearly holding back a boatload of emotions. This just kept getting weirder.

““Hey stranger” yourself!” Sanji said defensively, attempting to lean as far away from the man as possible without falling out of his arms and onto the ground below. “Who the hell are you, anyways? You part of Bege’s group? Actually, I don’t care, just put me the fuck down!” he snapped, twisting like an unhappy cat in the man’s grip. 

Sanji hadn’t expected to see that much hurt in the other man’s eyes. His lips parted slightly, like he had something to say to Sanji, but nothing came out. Clearly, this wasn’t going however the man had imagined it, but Sanji couldn’t find it in himself to feel sorry for him. If this guy knew anything about Sanji, like he seemed to, he should know Sanji didn’t take kindly to being manhandled by strangers. 

“Sanji, you—“ he found his words at last, but was cut off when something exploded near them. Noticing that they weren’t too far from the ground now— and wow, holy shit, the lower half of the guy holding him was a swirling mass of flame, guess that explained how he was flying around. Ignoring that for now, Sanji twisted violently out of his grasp, landing safely on the battlefield. 

Twisting his head back up to the flaming man who was still staring down at him, Sanji shouted, “Look, if you’ve got some issue with me, find me after all this shit is over!” He didn’t spare a moment longer as he turned on his heel, darting off towards his trapped ex-family. Sanji had no time for games, and if that guy was on their side, he should know that much. They were fighting _Big Mom,_ for Christ’s sake. 

He had already pushed the man out of his mind by the time he arrived at the table.

* * *

Ace leaned hard against Sunny's railing, hanging his head down towards the waves. He had heard rumors that there was a Devil Fruit that could alter memories, and even a few whispers that Big Mom might have gotten her hands on it, but he had never expected to actually run into it. He hadn’t even considered it could be a problem until it was much too late.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain with two rings on it, dropping it into the palm of his other hand. The light glinted off of them as he stared forward, his heart aching. He couldn’t erase the memory of Sanji pushing away from him, desperate to get out of his arms. 

Ace didn’t turn as he registered the click of heels approaching him. Nami entered his peripheral, leaning her back against the railing next to him rather than facing the sea like Ace. She looked like she wanted to say something, maybe offer him words of comfort, but she said nothing. Finally, her eyes caught on the glinting metal in Ace’s open palm, and her eyes widened.

“Are those…?” 

“Yeah,” Ace replied, not waiting for her to finish. He swallowed hard as he looked at the set of matching rings. “This whole thing with the wedding made me realize how afraid I am of losing him. I figured it was finally time, so… I was gonna ask him after we rescued him and got far away from this place.” He sighed through his nose, fighting the urge to just toss the pieces of metal into the ocean. “Don’t think he’d take too kindly to that, the way he is now.”

“Shit, Ace,” Nami said, because there was really nothing else to be said to that. She put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in close. Ace allowed himself to be pulled, leaning against her limply. “I’m so sorry.” 

“You want these?” Ace asked, raising his palm slightly and extending it towards Nami. “Could probably pawn ‘em for a pretty penny. Might as well.” 

Nami frowned, curling the fingers of Ace’s hand into a fist around the rings and pushing it back towards him. “We can’t give up now. There’s a good chance the Devil Fruit eater is still around here, so there’s still hope we can get Sanji’s memories back.” There was a determination burning in her eyes that made Ace feel guilty for allowing himself to just accept things as they were. “Once you give those to me, they’re as good as gone. You better hold on to them.” 

Ace laughed half-heartedly, pulling his now-closed hand back sheepishly. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m just a bit out of sorts over this whole thing, I suppose. Thanks for talking some sense into me, Nav.” He paused, a genuine smile finding its way onto his face. “You don’t charge for pep talks, do you?” 

Nami stuck out her tongue playfully, clasping a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “I’ll make an exception, just this once.” She released him and ran off across the deck, responding to a call from Chopper about their course. 

Alone again, Ace opened his fist and looked at the rings once more. He brought them closer, peering into the small glass compartments that contained slivers of Sanji’s and his own vivre cards. His own card, contained within the ring he had planned to give to Sanji, pushed against the edge of its container, diligently pointing towards its source. The card within his ring pointed out to sea, to wherever Sanji was now.

Ace was tempted to slip his ring on, as he was still worried about Sanji’s whereabouts and wellbeing, but he abstained. He wouldn’t feel right putting it on until he could give the other one to Sanji; the ache in his chest only grew stronger as he realized that day may never come. He wanted to believe Sanji would get his memories back, but it was difficult to keep his hopes high. 

He wondered if this was how Sanji had felt, waiting for Ace to wake up after the war two years ago.

* * *

Sanji sat with his back against the brick wall, hood pulled up over his head. His cigarette glowed dimly in the dark alley as he breathed out, smoke billowing out in front of him. It was the first moment of peace he felt he’d had in a long time, and he was savoring it.

He could feel Pudding’s gaze burning into him from several feet away. Sanji could tell that ever since their moment at the altar, Pudding had been conflicted; she didn’t seem to know what she wanted to do, what she was allowed to do. He felt bad for her, honestly.

“You know, even though it was just pretend,” Sanji said, tapping his cigarette against the ground. He turned to Pudding, giving her a bright, genuine smile. “I’m glad I could play your fiancé for a little bit.”

Pudding gazed back at him, tears already flowing down her face. “You— How can you still say that?! After everything I did to you! I laughed at you, tricked you, tried to kill you— I even—!” A sob cut her off, bubbling up from her throat as whatever was left of her walls crumbled. “...I altered your memories.” 

Sanji sighed quietly, taking another drag off his cigarette. The admission was not a shocking revelation; the moment Sanji had found out about Pudding’s power, he suspected he may have already been affected by it. It was easy to think of all the opportunities she must have had to screw with his mind; he had made himself vulnerable to her many times. 

“That explains the holes,” Sanji said, stroking his chin absentmindedly. There were certain memories that he knew he should be able to recall vividly, but they were… spotty, as though only bits and pieces had been clipped. He knew his captain had been involved in the Paramount War two years ago, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember _why._ That was something important, something he should know. He had plenty of holes like that, and they bothered him immensely.

Pudding choked back another sob, reaching up to messily wipe away her tears. “Under normal circumstances, I’d have made false memories so you wouldn’t know there was anything missing,” she explained, barely holding it together long enough to get out the words. “But, I— I mean, you were already a dead man walking, so I just figured, you were— it didn’t matter— with the wedding, and all, you—“ 

Realizing she wasn’t getting anywhere, Sanji cut her off. “You were certain I was going to die anyway, so you didn’t think it was worth the trouble.” Pudding nodded and Sanji sighed again. “I can’t fault your logic. Dead men don’t need functional memories.”

There was a pause, the only noise in the alley being Pudding’s muffled sobs. With a heavy heart, Sanji decided to ask the question he already felt he knew the answer to.

“Do you… still have them? My memories, I mean.” 

Pudding shook her head and drew in a shaky breath. “I… I destroyed them. I didn’t know—“ She curled in on herself, face hidden in her hands. “I’m so sorry, I’m so— so sorry…”

Snubbing out his cigarette, Sanji tossed it aside and walked over to Pudding, his hands in his pockets. She was seated on a crate, sobbing into her palms. It was strange, being tucked away in this little alley while all hell broke loose throughout Totto Land. It made it feel like all that mattered at the moment was their conversation.

Bending down slightly so he was more on her level, Sanji reached out and wrapped his arms around Pudding. He pulled her close, not tight enough that she couldn’t break free, but just enough to ground her. Pudding’s breath hitched and she finally raised her head, looking over Sanji’s shoulder at the brick wall opposite. 

“Why… why would you— I don’t understand, Sanji,” Pudding asked shakily, shifting her gaze over to the back of Sanji’s head. “Why are you doing this? I don’t deserve forgiveness, I—”

“I’m not forgiving you,” Sanji said firmly, but with no anger in his voice. He was completely still as he held her, his hands planted on her back. “Just… Looked like you needed a hug, is all. I don’t like seeing a lady cry.”

They stayed like that for a while, until Pudding’s sobs died down to whimpers and she had cried all the tears she could. Sanji pulled back, returning to his full standing height. He slid his hands back into his pockets, finding his cigarettes and lighter.

“Well, nothing to do now but wait until Luffy shows up,” Sanji said, lighting up a new cigarette. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what you cut out of my head, yeah?”

* * *

Sanji couldn’t believe the state his beloved kitchen was in. It was an absolute _disaster,_ and he was going to kick everyone’s asses— except Nami and Carrot, of course— for letting Luffy in his kitchen. They should have known better, honestly.

But that all had to wait, because right now, Sanji was in the kitchen with the man he was supposedly in a committed relationship of three years with. 

“So,” Sanji said awkwardly, leaning against the counter. He would have preferred to keep himself busy with dishes or something so he didn’t have to look at the man, but that would be too rude even for Sanji. Besides, he owed the guy this much. 

“So,” The man— Ace, his name was Ace, Sanji needed to remember that because it was important— answered, looking equally awkward with a touch more despair. Neither of them seemed to want to talk first, so Sanji decided to step up to the plate.

“Uh, sorry for yelling at you, back at the wedding,” Sanji said, wishing he hadn’t run through all his cigarettes. “You didn’t do anything to deserve that.” Sanji cringed a bit at how stiff his apology sounded. _He came all this way to save me, I’m sure he was expecting a warmer response…_

Ace stared back at him, looking for something in Sanji’s face that Sanji wasn’t sure he would find. “It’s… I get it. Guess we’re really back to being strangers, huh?” 

“Guess so,” Sanji replied, though he felt like he was missing some kind of joke. 

“What now?” 

Sanji was surprised that Ace had been the one to ask that question. He had expected the other man to try to guide him on some path back to whatever they had before, but instead, he was asking Sanji where he wanted to go from here. It was a nice gesture, and one that told Sanji that he and this guy might have actually been pretty compatible.

“Hmm,” Sanji hummed in thought, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. “How about… I make us some tea, and then you tell me about some important things I may have forgotten? I’m sure you’ve got plenty of stories that’ll be able to help with the holes in my memory.” 

Ace smiled at him, a strained smile, but warm nonetheless. “That sounds nice.”

Turning his back to the other man, Sanji moved to the sink when he realized their only kettle needed to be washed. He rolled up his sleeves and started his work, the comforts of being in his own kitchen— even if it was slightly destroyed— filling him with a sense of security.

“You want any help with that?” Ace asked from behind him, where he was still seated at the table.

Sanji looked over his shoulder, giving Ace a big, genuine smile. “Nah, you’re fine! I don’t make my guests work.” 

For a split second Ace looked startled, and Sanji wondered if he was experiencing the same strange sense of déjà vu that the cook was. His surprise quickly gave way to another smile, but this one seemed less strained than the last.

“It’s your kitchen.”


	2. Alt. Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised the dear shrimpji group that id make an alternate version of this fic w/ a happy ending because yknow... I think ace Nd sanji both deserve it. A few things are changed thruout, but the final scene is entirely different and the second to last is largely changed, so if u only wanna read the new stuff go for those two. Love y’all <3

“In… love?” 

Sanji sighed, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. “I’m sorry. I just… I thought you should know, all things considered.”

Crocodile tears sprung into Pudding’s eyes as she processed what her fiancé had just told her. It was a chore, pretending to be sympathetic for his situation, but it was a chore she had to do. “Does your family know?”

“With the amount of research Judge seems to have done into my life, it wouldn’t surprise me if he does.” Sanji ran his fingers through his hair; it seemed to be a nervous habit of his, Pudding had noticed.  _ Pathetic _ . “Even if he doesn’t, well… it wouldn’t make a difference to him. He’s never cared about what I want.” 

_ God, shut up, _ Pudding thought, fighting to keep the annoyance off her face. “So you’re already in love with someone, but you still have to get married to me…” she sniffled, as though she was trying to restrain herself from bursting into tears. She wasn’t, of course, but that wasn’t relevant. “I’m so sorry! I wanted to be the best wife I could for you, but if someone else has your heart, being with me will only be even more torturous!”

Sanji was quick to jerk his head up, eyes wide in surprise. “Ah, Pudding, it’s not your fault! None of this is your fault.” He was genuinely trying to comfort her, the idiot. “It’s my fault for letting myself end up in this position. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to be a good husband.”

Pudding chewed her lip. Of course it didn’t matter that he wouldn’t be a good husband; he was going to die before he ever got the chance. However, if this other relationship caused him to bail on the wedding at the last moment… That could be a problem, and Mama would blame her for it. Everything needed to go according to plan. 

That was Pudding’s justification as she reached into Sanji’s head and yanked out his memories. The roll of film spilled out, piling up on the carpet as she pulled more and more out. Sanji was still, dazed and unaware of what was happening to him.  _ Serves him right! _

First, most of this conversation had to go. She grabbed the end of the roll, which was lying on the floor, and traced back to the moment he had entered the room to speak with her. With a single snip from her scissors, the memories fell away, cut free from the blond idiot’s mind. All her great acting today had been a  _ waste. _

All that was left was to find whoever Sanji had given his heart to. In her many years of doing this, Pudding had gotten adept at scanning people’s memory in record time. It wasn’t long before she stumbled across it; a tender, private moment, meant only for the two of them, and certainly not for Pudding. She couldn’t keep the surprise off her face as she registered what she was seeing in the segment of film.

_ Really? Him?  _ Anybody would easily recognize Fire Fist after the stir he had caused two years ago in the Paramount War. In their brief time together, Sanji hadn’t struck Pudding as the type to have any interest in men, though she didn’t care all that much to learn anything unnecessary about him. He would be dead soon, and spending time with him was unpleasant to boot. She really couldn’t care less about what he did with who.

But there was… something. Something about the way they held each other in this moment, like they were each other’s lifelines, that made Pudding incredibly angry. It wasn’t due to a possessiveness over Sanji— no, Pudding wasn’t some lovesick fool like he was. She gripped the film tight when she realized what it was, threatening to crush the memory with her bare hands. She wanted to be looked at like that, just once in her life.

She was  _ jealous _ of Sanji.

Never had Pudding felt more disgusted with herself than she did in that moment. She was quick to cut the memory away from Sanji, not bothering to fabricate a false memory and simply reattaching the rest of the film where the hole had been made. For a moment she simply stared at the clip, overwhelmed by her various conflicting emotions. Then she raised the scissors, and—

Pudding stopped short of shredding the delicate memories in her hands. She couldn’t explain why, but something told her to hold onto them. Her conscience, maybe? No, couldn’t be— she’d thrown that away long ago, or maybe she’d never had one. Pudding was frustrated; she should have no trouble destroying this loser’s memories, and yet…

Huffing in annoyance, Pudding stashed the clips away. She needed to get a move on. With the number of times Pudding had been ordered to do this before, she had become adept at quickly scanning and searching people’s entire memories for whatever she needed to remove. Fueled by anger at both herself and Sanji, she began pulling through the length of film vigorously. She had plenty of time before she needed to be anywhere.

This was for Mama’s plan. Nothing personal.

* * *

Sanji blinked. Something was strange.

“Are you alright, Sanji? You seem kind of out of it,” Pudding asked, batting her eyelashes a bit as she watched him in concern. He felt bad for having made her worry. “You were just staring off into space…”

Was that what he had been doing? Sanji’s mind felt clouded, like he was overlooking something important. He knew he was in Pudding’s room, and he’d come to see her to… to… just to see her? His mind told him that was correct, but something else told him it was absolutely not. Sanji shoved that feeling down for now; it wasn’t his top priority.

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine,” he answered somewhat unconvincingly, pushing his bangs up slightly with his hand. “Just tired, is all.” He glanced out the window, surprised to see the sun slipping beneath the waves of the Grand Line.  _ When had it gotten this late? _

Pudding nodded, turning her head down to her lap where she nervously pressed her thumbs together. “Um, Sanji…” she started, not looking at him. A cute blush dusted her face as she fidgeted slightly. “No, never mind, it’s embarrassing…”

Sanji stood up from his position across from Pudding and moved to sit on the loveseat next to her, waiting for her to give him permission before he took a seat. He left a respectful amount of space between the two of them, but he still reached over and gently laid a hand over hers. 

“Go ahead. I would never laugh at a lady’s heartfelt words.”

Pudding finally looked up at him, the beginning of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “I know that you don’t want to get married, but,” she paused to reach up and wipe a tear away before it could fall. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy, I promise. I’ll give you my heart.” 

Sanji smiled at her, the way one prisoner would to another as they fought to stay alive. What they had certainly wasn’t love, but rather a form of solidarity born out of similar circumstances. It could function as love, though, if they needed it to. “I’ll do the same, of course. My heart is yours, Pudding.” 

The smile that Pudding gave was the brightest smile Sanji had seen on her, and it made him feel a bit better. He hadn’t realized how happy that answer would make her. At least he’d done  _ something  _ right.

* * *

The wedding was going downhill fast, not that Sanji hadn’t expected that. Everything had been pretty much going according to plan, up until he saw Pudding’s eye. He knew he should have staggered backwards, prompting her to pull her gun on him, but he just  _ couldn’t. _ It was so lovely, and he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t say so. This and that happened, and then, of course, the fucking wedding cake exploded.

He knew Luffy would absolutely pull a stunt like this, but it still caught him a bit by surprise and he lost his footing, slipping on the icing. For a moment he was falling, struggling to right himself so that he could use Sky Walk, but all of a sudden he wasn’t falling anymore. 

Sanji looked up at the man who had caught him in midair. He hadn’t been at the meeting with Bege, but he was dressed in a similar outfit to the rest of Sanji’s group, with a dress shirt— which was, strangely, open— and a tie hanging freely over his chest. His wavy black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, multiple strands hanging freely and framing his freckled face. Pressed up against his chest— much too close for Sanji’s comfort— Sanji noticed a massive scar covering most of it, not unlike his captain’s own scar. 

His captain’s scar. When had he gotten…?

Sanji realized the man was looking down at him now, fixing him with a warm grin that seemed  _ way  _ too intimate for having just met. “Hey, stranger,” he said softly, clearly holding back a boatload of emotions. This just kept getting weirder.

““Hey stranger” yourself!” Sanji said defensively, attempting to lean as far away from the man as possible without falling out of his arms and onto the ground below. “Who the hell are you, anyways? You part of Bege’s group? Actually, I don’t care, just put me the fuck down!” he snapped, twisting like an unhappy cat in the man’s grip. 

Sanji hadn’t expected to see that much hurt in the other man’s eyes. His lips parted slightly, like he had something to say to Sanji, but nothing came out. Clearly, this wasn’t going however the man had imagined it, but Sanji couldn’t find it in himself to feel sorry for him. If this guy knew anything about Sanji, like he seemed to, he should know Sanji didn’t take kindly to being manhandled by strangers. 

“Sanji, you—“ he found his words at last, but was cut off when something exploded near them. Noticing that they weren’t too far from the ground now— and wow, holy shit, the lower half guy holding him was a swirling mass of flame, guess that explained how he was flying around. Ignoring that for now, Sanji twisted violently out of his grasp, landing safely on the battlefield. 

Twisting his head back up to the flaming man who was still staring down at him, Sanji shouted, “Look, if you’ve got some issue with me, find me after all this shit is over!” He didn’t spare a moment longer as he turned in his heel, darting off towards his trapped ex-family. Sanji had no time for games, and if that guy was on their side, he should know that much. They were fighting  _ Big Mom, _ for Christ’s sake. 

He had already pushed the man out of his mind by the time he arrived at the table.

* * *

Ace leaned hard against Sunny's railing, hanging his head down towards the waves. He had heard rumors that there was a Devil Fruit that could alter memories, and even a few whispers that Big Mom might have gotten her hands on it, but he had never expected to actually run into it. He hadn’t even considered it could be a problem until it was much too late.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain with two rings on it, dropping it into the palm of his other hand. The light glinted off of them as he stared forward, his heart aching. He couldn’t erase the memory of Sanji pushing away from him, desperate to get out of his arms. 

Ace didn’t turn as he registered the click of heels approaching him. Nami entered his peripheral, leaning her back against the railing next to him rather than facing the sea like Ace. She looked like she wanted to say something, maybe offer him words of comfort, but she said nothing. Finally, her eyes caught on the glinting metal in Ace’s open palm, and her eyes widened.

“Are those…?” 

“Yeah,” Ace replied, not waiting for her to finish. He swallowed hard as he looked at the set of matching rings. “This whole thing with the wedding made me realize how afraid I am of losing him. I figured it was finally time, so… I was gonna ask him after we rescued him and got far away from this place.” He sighed through his nose, fighting the urge to just toss the pieces of metal into the ocean. “Don’t think he’d take too kindly to that, the way he is now.”

“Shit, Ace,” Nami said, because there was really nothing else to be said to that. She put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in close. Ace allowed himself to be pulled, leaning against her limply. “I’m so sorry.” 

“You want these?” Ace asked, raising his palm slightly and extending it towards Nami. “Could probably pawn ‘em for a pretty penny. Might as well.” 

Nami frowned, curling the finger’s of Ace’s hand into a fist around the rings and pushing it back towards him. “We can’t give up now. There’s a good chance the Devil Fruit eater is still around here, so there’s still hope we can get Sanji’s memories back.” There was a determination burning in her eyes that made Ace feel guilty for allowing himself to just accept things as they were. “Once you give those to me, they’re as good as gone. You better hold on to them.” 

Ace laughed half-heartedly, pulling his now-closed hand back sheepishly. “You’re right, you’re right. I’m just a bit out of sorts over this whole thing, I suppose. Thanks for talking some sense into me, Nav.” He paused, a genuine smile finding its way onto his face. “You don’t charge for pep talks, do you?” 

Nami stuck out her tongue playfully, clasping a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “I’ll make an exception, just this once.” She released him and ran off across the deck, responding to a call from Chopper about their course. 

Alone again, Ace opened his fist and looked at the rings once more. He brought them closer, peering into the small glass compartments that contained slivers of Sanji’s and his own vivre cards. His own card, contained within the ring he had planned to give to Sanji, pushed against the edge of its container, diligently pointing towards its source. The card within his ring pointed out to sea, to wherever Sanji was now.

Ace was tempted to slip his ring on, as he was still worried about Sanji’s whereabouts and wellbeing, but he abstained. He wouldn’t feel right putting it on until he could give the other one to Sanji; the ache in his chest only grew stronger as he realized that day may never come. He wanted to believe Sanji would get his memories back, but it was difficult to keep his hopes high. 

He wondered if this was how Sanji had felt, waiting for Ace to wake up after the war two years ago.

* * *

Sanji sat with his back against the brick wall, hood pulled up over his head. His cigarette glowed dimly in the dark alley as he breathed out, smoke billowing out in front of him. It was the first moment of peace he felt he’d had in a long time, and he was savoring it.

He could feel Pudding’s gaze burning into him from several feet away. Sanji could tell that ever since their moment at the altar, Pudding had been conflicted; she didn’t seem to know what she wanted to do, what she was allowed to do. He felt bad for her, honestly.

“You know, even though it was just pretend,” Sanji said, tapping his cigarette against the ground. He turned to Pudding, giving her a bright, genuine smile. “I’m glad I could play your fiancé for a little bit.”

Pudding gazed back at him, tears already flowing down her face. “You— How can you still say that?! After everything I did to you! I laughed at you, tricked you, tried to kill you— I even—!” A sob cut her off, bubbling up from her throat as whatever was left of her walls crumbled. “...I altered your memories.” 

Sanji sighed quietly, taking another drag off his cigarette. The admission was not a shocking revelation; the moment Sanji had found out about Pudding’s power, he suspected he may have already been affected by it. It was easy to think of all the opportunities she must have had to screw with his mind; he had made himself vulnerable to her many times. 

“That explains the holes,” Sanji said, stroking his chin absentmindedly. There were certain memories that he knew he should be able to recall vividly, but they were… spotty, as though only bits and pieces had been clipped. He knew his captain had been involved in the Paramount War two years ago, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember  _ why.  _ That was something important, something he should know. He had plenty of holes like that, and they bothered him immensely.

Pudding choked back another sob, reaching up to messily wipe away her tears. “Under normal circumstances, I’d have made false memories so you wouldn’t know there was anything missing,” she explained, barely holding it together long enough to get out the words. “But, I— I mean, you were already a dead man walking, so I just figured, you were— it didn’t matter— with the wedding, and all, you—“ 

Realizing she wasn’t getting anywhere, Sanji cut her off. “You were certain I was going to die anyway, so you didn’t think it was worth the trouble.” Pudding nodded and Sanji sighed again. “I can’t fault your logic. Dead men don’t need functional memories.”

There was a pause, the only noise in the alley being Pudding’s muffled sobs. With a heavy heart, Sanji decided to ask the question he already felt he knew the answer to.

“Do you… still have them? My memories, I mean.” 

A moment passed, and then Pudding startled, nearly falling as she stood up quickly. “I do!”

Sanji’s eye widened, and he nearly dropped his cigarette in surprise. Apparently, he hadn’t known the answer. “You… what? You do?”

Pudding nodded enthusiastically, drying her tears as she activated her power. “Normally, I destroy memories that I remove, so I had forgotten, but…” She reached into a pocket of space— some facet of her power, Sanji imagined— and pulled out a bundle of film. His memories.

“Why?” Sanji asked, unable to keep the question to himself. “Why didn’t you destroy them?”

With a shake of her head, Pudding looked down at the film. “I don’t know. I just… couldn’t.” Suddenly, her gaze shot back up to Sanji and her face went red. “It’s not— you better not think that I, I— I d-don’t like you or anything, jackass! Go jump in the ocean and drown!” 

Sanji just blinked, still unsure of how to deal with Pudding when she got like this. He opted for the tried and true method of moving the conversation forwards without acknowledging it. “Can you put them back? We should have enough time before Luffy shows up.” 

“You still trust me to use my powers on you?” Pudding asked in surprised, reaching for her scissors.

_ Not really,  _ Sanji thought, _ but I have a feeling that those are really important.  _ He shrugged, moving closer to her and sitting on the box she had previously occupied. “No other way to get them back where they belong, right?”

Pudding nodded again, moving over to position herself in front of Sanji. “Here we go,” she warned before plunging a hand into Sanji’s head.

* * *

By the time Sanji landed on the Sunny, an unconscious Luffy held close to his chest, Sanji was exhausted. The adrenaline that had been pumping through him since their pursuit began was wearing off, and he was really starting to feel the gunshot in his upper arm for the first time. His friends were quick to take Luffy from him, Chopper fussing loudly over the state of the both of them. 

Sanji wasn’t sure what he expected upon his return, but the way his friends threw themselves at him was not it. They held him tightly, as though trying to stop him from running away again, and he felt fondness course through his body. But, as much as he wanted to stay this way, there was something else he needed to fix.

Glancing around, he locked eyes with Nami. She still had a hard look on her face, one that Sanji was sure he would have to get used to seeing for a while, but he’d known her long enough to know that she was glad to see him back safe. From where he was still being crushed by his friends, Sanji spoke.

“Ace…?” he asked, unable to keep the desperation out of his voice. If Ace had already left without letting Sanji make things right… Well, Sanji wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for that.

Nami’s expression was overtaken by surprise, but it quickly melted into something softer than Sanji had seen from her in a while. Smiling, she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder towards the door behind her. “In the galley.” Frowning a bit, she pointed an accusatory finger towards the chef. “You better apologize for making him worry!” 

Squirming his way free of his friends’ unrelenting embrace, Sanji laughed as he walked towards the galley. “Think I’ve got a lot of apologizing to do…” He stopped short as he reached the door, his hand on the smooth wood. Since the moment he had regained his memories, he hadn’t been able to suppress his guilt; if the roles were reversed, and Ace had forgotten about him, Sanji would be beside himself. Even though he didn’t choose to forget, he was still upset with himself for how he had acted, and the pain he must have put Ace through.

Ace… who had come all the way to Tottoland, into Big Mom’s territory, just to help save him. Just to make sure he was okay. And Sanji had shoved him away and, essentially, told him to fuck off. Not his best moment.

Steeling himself, Sanji pushed the door open gently, letting himself in. The door closed quietly behind him, giving them a bit of privacy in the midst of everything. 

On the other side of the room, facing away from the door was Ace, occupied with something in the sink. “I’ll be out in a second,” Ace called out, not turning around. Sanji winced at his tired tone; he hadn’t heard him sound like that since two years ago, and knowing it was because of him, well…

Sanji knew he should announce his presence, maybe start with a proper apology. Instead, he launched himself at his partner’s familiar, tattooed back— marred by a massive scar, but Whitebeard’s mark persisted— and wrapped his arms around the man’s midsection, squeezing hard. Ace stiffened in his grasp, clearly surprised by the sudden embrace. Sanji felt a rough hand brush over his own, ever so gently, as though confirming that it was really there.

“Sanji…?” Ace asked quietly, his voice a bit hoarse. “That… That you?” 

Sanji pressed his forehead harder between Ace’s shoulder blades, unable to contain his emotions as he shook a bit. “Mhm,” he hummed, tightening his embrace. “...’m sorry.” 

There was a soft  _ clink _ as Ace set something down in the sink. “Can you loosen it up a bit, babe?” he asked, his voice still uncharacteristically soft. “I want to hug you back.” 

Reluctant as he was to release Ace for even a moment, Sanji obliged. As soon as he was able to, Ace spun around and looked Sanji in the eyes for a moment before pulling him in close. His embrace was every bit as crushing as Sanji’s had been— likely more so— but Sanji made no attempt to free himself. He allowed himself to be pressed against Ace’s comforting chest, ear over the other man’s heart as he listened to it beat. 

Sanji wrapped his arms around Ace once more, anchoring them on his muscular back. They stayed like that for a moment, exchanging no words and simply relishing what they might have lost forever. It was nice, having something back Sanji didn’t even realize he had lost in the first place. It made him want to cry. 

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one. Ace’s sniffles started off quiet, but eventually it was impossible for him to hide the fact that he was crying, especially with the way his shoulders shook. Sanji frowned, guilt threatening to crush him if Ace’s arms didn’t finish the job soon.

“Shit, Ace,” Sanji breathed, rubbing Ace’s back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “I’m so sorry for what happened back at the reception, I didn’t mean it—“

“You idiot,” Ace muttered, moving one of his hands to the back of Sanji’s head. “I don’t care about that. I’m just… I’m glad you’re ok. Is Luffy alright?” 

“He’s still in one piece, if that’s what you’re asking,” Sanji laughed, tension starting to seep out of him. “Chopper’s seeing to him now.” 

“Knew you’d keep him safe,” Ace hummed, stroking Sanji’s hair. “Thanks. And, uh… you got all your memories back, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah,” Sanji replied, exhaustion catching up to him as he slouched a bit against Ace’s chest. “I can’t believe I actually forgot about you, Ace. It was… weird. I knew— there was something missing, I could feel it, and I knew it was important, but I just couldn’t…” He sighed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry, I really am. I’m sorry I put you through that. I’ll never let it happen again— not on my life.” 

The arm still pinning him against Ace pulled him in tighter, the grip having loosened over time. “I thought we were too late,” Ace said, his voice quivering. “I didn’t think you’d remember me, and I started thinking about a life without you— and if I’m being honest, I wanted no part of it.” 

“I know that feeling,” Sanji whispered, eyes drifting down to the massive scar covering a large section of Ace’s torso. 

“And, I, uh— I’ve got something for you,” Ace continued, surprisingly pulling away from Sanji. The blond immediately missed the warmth, but he was more interested in whatever Ace had for him. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, so— Christ! Is that  _ blood?! _ ”

Sanji blinked, looking at Ace’s chest where his upper arm— specifically, his untreated gunshot wound— had been pressed. He had left quite a bit of blood on the other man, and he frowned at the sight.

“Oh. Yeah, sorry,” Sanji said lamely, gesturing vaguely at his wound. “It’s not that bad, don’t worry. Chopper’s busy with Luffy right now, anyways. What were you saying?” 

Ace frowned, clearly still worried. His eyes stayed on Sanji’s arm before eventually drifting up to his face. “Fine, but you gotta go get seen to after, alright?” When Sanji nodded, Ace reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a chain. Unclasping the chain, he slid two rings free and presented one to Sanji.

“Like I said earlier, I don’t want any part in a life without you,” Ace said, fidgeting with his own ring in his hands after Sanji had taken the one offered to him, slightly dumbstruck. “These’ve got bits of our vivre cards in ‘em. It’ll be like we always have a piece of each other, y’know? And we’ll always be able to find each other, no matter how far we go.” 

“Are you proposing to me?” Sanji asked, disbelief overriding any other feelings swirling around in him. 

“Guess I am?” Ace replied with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “But, uh— don’t feel like you have to take it or nothin’. If—” He was interrupted by Sanji shoving the ring back at him, pressing it into his palm. “Oh. I… Alright.”

“If you’re proposing to me,” Sanji said, extending his left hand for Ace to take, “then you should put it on me, yeah?”

Ace’s eyes widened as he understood what Sanji meant, unable to contain his huge grin. “Only if you do the same for me,” Ace beamed, passing his ring over to Sanji’s free hand. Gently, with all the care he always handled Sanji’s precious hands with, Ace slid the ring onto his finger. He offered his own hand to Sanji to do the same, his heart threatening to burst. He lifted a hand to Sanji’s face and brushed his hair back, getting a good view of both eyes.

“Sorry, I know this is all kinda non-traditional,” Ace laughed, unable to look away from Sanji’s face. “If you want to have an actual wedding later—”

“Are you kidding?” Sanji interrupted, equally mirthful. “I’ve had enough of weddings for the rest of my goddamn life. This is absolutely perfect.” He pulled Ace down into a quick kiss, grinning the whole time. “Thanks for coming for me, Ace. I love you so fucking much.” 

Ace returned his smile, pressing another quick kiss to Sanji’s forehead. “Love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> was originally gonna end this fic with sanji gettin his memories back but I asked shrimpji chat how to end it and they said go bittersweet.. so I put sanjis memories in the shredder. rip
> 
> would not be opposed to doing a second much happier chapter later :-3c


End file.
